Thursday, September 29, 2016

It's not often that a Linden card I've never seen or heard of crosses my path. Not to toot my own horn...but I feel like I've got a pretty good awareness of what all is out there. I've built my master checklist over 20 years of knowledge, resources and help of fellow collectors and it's solid. That's not to say that it's complete and 100% accurate.....there's always room for editing.

So when a fellow Linden collector threw a scan my way of a card that's nearly 20 years old itself, I did a double take and grew a huge grin.

In the 1998/99 season, Linden was off playing in New York for the Islanders. Banished from Vancouver by the evil Mike Keenan and the (insert colourful metaphor) Mark Messy-eh. Trev was still a hobby mainstay though and in the parallel heaven of Be A Player, Pacific, OPC, Topps and Upper Deck he had over 100 cards to chase that year. I'm proud to say that other than a few show cards and ever-elusive 1/1's - I've crossed them all off that master list.

Which makes this new scan even more exciting. It's been years since I've even thought of this set.

1998/99 Upper Deck

#124 Exclusive ERROR

The scan makes it hard to see but I can tell you that the foil on each side is gold in color.

The regular base offering has silver foil, the Exclusive parallel (/100) is bronze in color and has a serial number stamped on the back, the Gold Reserve parallel has (you guessed it) gold foil - but also has a gold shimmer to the photo...which the above card does not. Finally, the never-seen Exclusive 1/1 is also gold in color, has a regular looking photo and is serial numbered on the back too.

So what makes this card so confusing and rare?

The back of this card. No serial number. I had no idea these existed.

So what's the deal?

Seems as though there was some overstocked un-numbered 1/1 cards that got leaked out into the market. Said cards have/are being sold by someone (at relatively cheap prices...perhaps being unaware of what he has). Said cards (of the Linden variety) were scooped up by a fellow collector and one made its way to my house as part of a recent package.

It was an awesome gift. Huge thank you!!!!!

I was mentioning to a couple people that a card like this has me more excited than pretty much anything that has been put out by card companies this year. Discovering something you had no idea existed is really cool and I love when I can go into my master checklist and scroll back a couple decades in order to do a little bit of modifying.

Yet another aspect of the hobby that I really enjoy...learning more about the projects you set out to chase. Nobody is an expert, nobody knows everything. And as long as you have an open mind and a thirst for knowledge, you can be quenched with information if you persist.

Monday, September 26, 2016

I hate to say that I've let my 'Raise The Cup' project get a little disorganized. Part of what I wanted this blog to be way back in the day was a vehicle for me to become a little more in check with what I'm collecting, where things are and what I actually have in my various pcs.

One of the things I'm determined to do before the end of the year is really get my card collections in order. Get the closet dialled and shed some of the extra base and unwanted (and untraceable) cards out of the way.

But I was in a scanning mood a few days back and I saw a number of Cup raisers that just screamed to be entered into the digital world.

And by screaming...I mean "What the heck is this crap??!!!"

I can easily say that these 15/16 SP Authentic All-Time Moments cards are some of the worst design layouts I've ever laid eyes on.

I don't know about you, but I would balk at slapping a big sheet of black over nearly half of the card. I can't believe that the designers at Upper Deck decided that sacrificing the photo was the best option so they could throw some text on the front of the card.

Nah.....I don't actually need to SEE Sakic and Roy (hey Bourque is in there too...I can see half his head). You've so eloquently described the setting with your words.

It's abysmal.

This one is slightly.....SLIGHTLY better. But still - one heck of an ugly card.

And what is with the border? I was trying to figure out if there was a printing error along the bottom. Was my scanner already crapping out?

No....it's supposed to look like that. It's like a filmstrip. Cuz, you know.....they're silver - right?

I almost don't want to include these into the project (and I guess I do have the ultimate say over that) but I think deep down I want to include them. Just so I am reminded that a bad decision should never be justified.

Well, I'm here to say that I've outdone myself and I have nothing left to do except share my glorious stupidity.

It was just back in March that I was oh so excited to share my latest and greatest Linden pickup.

A gorgeous black jersey square and a stunning sticker auto on some shiny gold foil of a card. No...no logos please as we are not allowed to use them. And just for fun, let's number this bad boy to just 15 copies.

Like I said.....stunning.

Well I must have liked it so much that not 3 months later I decided that I must have another.

Humph!! The silliest thing (other than me buying 2 copies of a card /15) is that I had no idea I'd done it until a couple nights ago. I was doing some sorting and found both copies sitting almost one on top of the other.

Did I mention that I'm an idiot?

So do I keep the 04/15....dubbed "The Original" or do I swap it out with the 05/15...dubbed "The Upgrade"? Can I return both copies and just go back to bed? Why do I have a checklist if I can't seem to look at it when the time comes to...you know...look at it? Just some of the many burning questions that have developed as a result of this "happy accident".

I even did a quick history search on eBay. Yup, I bought both of them....fair and square. I'm glad to say that I paid less (albeit slightly) for the second copy than I did the first. Small.....SMALL....REAL SMALL consolation.

So.......anyone need a beautiful example of a card /15?

Mental note....update your master checklist and LOOK AT IT before you buy any cards. I don't need to be building a secondary Linden collection.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

I'm so late to the party on this one....but I was sifting through some of my cards last night and stumbled upon a stack of 2015 Topps Stadium Club baseball. They came from a heated round of 'pack wars' that I won oh about a year ago.

I've been on a bit of a baseball kick of late. Chalk it up to a great stretch run (or frustrating if you're a Jays fan) to the season, some new #WalletCard Oscar Gamble pickups and some eBay cheapies to add to the tradebox. So when I flipped through the stack of TSC I was doing it with a big grin.

There are some great photos used in the set (I think Stadium Club is generally known for its solid photography). But when I got to a certain card - I stopped sifting.

2015 Topps Stadium Club

#210 George Brett

There's a lot that I like about this card. First and foremost...it's George Brett - my favourite player when I was a kid. After all, his last name was my first name. How cool is that? I always wanted a Brett jersey...I thought it would've suited me well. Heck, I still think about picking one up. It's now a tossup between Brett and Gamble (Cleveland Indians era). Oscar is catching up in the race.

But back to the card. The photo is just tremendous. It harkens a time when players were totally accessible and many were more than willing to give a young fan a couple moments of their time...and a sweet sig on a newly purchased baseball. This shot has a distinct 70's feel. The stadium in the background, the jersey, the shaggy hair...it's all there. But to me there's just a little more.

This card (it seems) has had a little work done to it. It almost has a painted look to it. I'm convinced that if this card was blown up 5 or 6 times in size I'd hang it in my office. It looks like a fine piece of art.

The photo had me so interested that I began researching it on the good ol' computer.

note: Again, I'm so late to the party on this one....I'm talking a couple years late. But like I said...it's a neat story.

Pop star Lorde said that this George Brett photo (which appeared in a 1976 edition of National Geographic) was the inspiration for her mega-hit 'Royals'.

"I had this image from the National Geographic of this dude just signing baseballs. He was a baseball player and his shirt said 'Royals' It was just that word. It's really cool."

Seriously?? That's incredibly random...and the song has nothing to do with baseball. But what the heck...a person can have ideas shoot into their head from the strangest and unlikeliest things.

This is the full version of the photo that was used in the article. Taken by photographer Ted Spiegel, this moment in time really has a certain type of energy to it. Not in a frantic or explosive way, but in a motivating and innocent mode.

But my hunch about the card having some work done to it might have some merit. This photo looks to be a little underexposed (it could just be the scan) and you really don't get a full sense of the expression on Brett's face. The card does a nice job of evening out the contrast and making everything less harsh to look at.

There are few occasions where I like to see baseball cards showing players doing something other than play baseball. The old "sitting in the dugout" shot or "fake pose" down the third base line doesn't really do it for me. But this shot just has a distinct uniqueness to it that frankly can't be matched.

The more I think about it, the more I want to find a nice copy of this photo so I can hang it up in my office.

Friday, September 23, 2016

There are times when I just take a flyer on things. Be it a pack of non-sport, a box of CFL or a pair of autos that I might be able to parlay into something more.

The last month - heck....this whole baseball season - has been a truly exciting rollercoaster ride for Toronto Blue Jays fans. A whole lot of expectations after a breakthrough 2015 season. Thoughts of a division title and dare I say...World Series birth are on the minds of many.

Come October, should the Jays make the postseason, I feel as though certain players may have heightened interest in the hobby. And what can I say...it can never hurt to have a couple Toronto autos in the trade box.

A recent venture into the ebay vortex had me searching Jays autos. I saw an auction that I thought I'd take a stab at. Whatdyaknow....I won.

Roberto Osuna might just be one of the top young pitching stars in the game. He's got a maturity to him that far outweighs his early-20s inexperience.

This hard-signed card from Topps Supreme came at the right price. I have no doubt that I'll be able to trade it away for something I really want - or bolster my trade box. Again, it's nice to go to trade night with some new stuff in the arsenal.

Quick note....sloppy sig. Let's get these young guys slapping a better auto on these cards eh?

While Dalton Pompey might not be meeting expectations in the 2016 season, I think he definitely has some upside in the Jays organization. With a guy like Jose Bautista likely on his way out, that might open the door for Dalton to come in and become a mainstay of the Jays outfield.

Another Topps Supreme card, hard signed, numbered to 25, it was in the same lot as the Osuna so it was coming along whether I liked it or not. I like it.

Again.....let's get some penmanship going guys.

A couple new cards to add to the trade box and here's hoping that the Jays go deep in the playoffs. It'll only up the value of these cards even more.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

They say "slow and steady wins the race" and I'm hoping that is true because my card pickups for the year have been really thin. Very few Linden pickups (easily my slowest year in a decade), a handful of goalie mask, HOF autos and Cup Raisers and the odd card for sheer tradebait.

I'm not disappointed by any means as I feel even more confident in my quest for cards. I go at my pace and I pick up what I want - when I want.

And it seems that I want to pick up Oscar Gamble cards.

It would not surprise me in the least if #WalletCard ends up being at the top of the list in terms of number of cards acquired this year. Many of them go for really good prices - compared to the crazy asking prices of some Linden offerings. It's just a lot of fun building a nice small player collection like this.

Recently I have been getting help from a fellow collector who has a US address. The savings I get on shipping are immense. It's almost to the point now where any card being sold from the States goes through him. And Oscar Gamble baseball cards are tougher to come by here in Canada.

My most recent cry for help (thanks again Kevin) landed me a pair of autos. Let's check out the goods.

2014 Panini Golden Age

#GAM Historic Signatures

I really like this card. The uniqueness in design layout, bold name font, interesting photo placement and prime signature area combined with the old cardboard-stock, matte finish, hard-signed script has me just admiring this great piece.

Yeah, there's nothing fantastic about this card - heck, there aren't even logos (no MLB license for Panini)....but it just works.

The scribble is a little wobbly, but I'm ok with that. It's par for the course.

I think all that this piece of cardboard is missing is a nice big afro.

2004 Upper Deck Yankees Classics

#AU-48 Classic Scripts

A sweet swing highlights this signature parallel from the mid-2000's. Not a tough card to find by any means, but to get it for the right price is where the challenge lay.

The auto isn't as solid as the first card, but I chalk that up to the pen. It is what it is (stupid pen).

To knock this one off the list for the price paid suits me just fine.

These two cards put me at the 45-card mark out of a total of around 155 cards. Oscar has been included in a couple recent releases - Topps Archives (5 cards) and Topps Archives Snapshots (5 cards). See....nothing crazy like 32 or 61 cards. Five. FIVE. I like that.

I find that I'm leaning towards two types of #WalletCard pickups these days...autographs and stamped buybacks. I feel as though the regular base cards are easy to find any time I want. The buybacks though may only have a certain shelf life before they get tossed in the never-to-be-searched box. Luckily I've been able to land almost every buyback I've laid eyes on - and again, for a good price.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

One of the lasting impressions of the previous hockey hobby season (for me) was the overwhelming success of the Tim Horton's hockey release. It hit a wide audience, was a quality product (that wasn't ultra high end) and had some staying power while collectors and fringe fans tried to hunt down their set needs.

It caught me a little off guard as I really didn't think that the "restaurant issue" product would really fly. McDonalds did an admirable job with their sets over the years and really found a niche collecting audience, but what Tim Horton's did blew that out of the water. I really feel as though it introduced a lot of new people to the hobby....if only for a little while.

So I was excited to learn of the return to the market this month for Upper Deck and Timmy's. The drive home from work had me stop off and pick up a few packs.

Twenty - to be exact.

Now, stupid me thought that if you bought your beverage that you would get all of your packs at the discounted price (yes....I'm a maroon). But even at the regular retail price, it's a fun and inexpensive rip.

Three cards to a pack - two base and an insert. Lots of insert sets to be had and some tougher pulls (and crazy longshots) give something for everyone.

Um.....he's not with.....huh.

Ok, I guess UD decided that leaving Hall in the set as a n Oiler would be less of a headache than pulling the card and replacing him with another player. I would have loved the ol' 80's OPC treatment...

"Now With Devils"

That would have been sweet.

The base cards are your usual food-issue foil-type card. Nice, but not jaw dropping. Not much in terms of photography or player poses...pretty simple actually. But the checklist is solid.

100 base cards with a smattering of current stars, young studs and Tim Horton. Cool.

I have no doubt that the Connor inserts will be popular among his young fans. The McDavid train in chugging along at full steam. And if there isn't enough hype on him already, his play at the World Cup is certain to get people drooling for the NHL regular season.

This Game Day Action card is a neat concept and it seems.....SEEMS as though the photos are taken from the actual game depicted on the back description. Not bad.

Hey now. I had to do a double take when I saw the vintage Canucks sweater with the 'C' on it. But yes...it's Henrik from last year's retro jersey night (oh how awesome was that).

The Local Leaders set is a great concept that has had success in the past under different monikers. And in my opinion they should go back to them. Local Leaders doesn't breathe excitement. It feels like a city committee meeting roll call.

Still, nice card.

Pure Gold reminds me of the early 90's Pankhurst emerald parallel. A simple cutout slapped on a foil coloured background.

These should trade well.

I like the looks of this insert set. Goalies....close ups of masks....sign me up.

Platinum Profiles though are not just full of tenders (bummer) but are left for the top stars. A good silver foil makes this easily smudgeable. Ha.

This was my big hit of the lot. They come in 1:16 packs so I caught the right odds. It's a nice clear card (like UD Ice) and has a slick, bold design.

I would have liked a Connor McDavid....but hey, so would everyone.

Overall, this pack rip session was a lot of fun. There were no high expectations for big hits and I know that there will be a lot of people looking to trade. And at the end of the day, isn't that what the hobby should be about?

Will I buy more packs? Probably. But I doubt I'll binge for 20 packs at a time from now on. Maybe one overtime I hit up the drive-thru.

Good stuff UD. (except for the Taylor Hall flub......and why is Karri Ramo in the set?)